Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and the American Center for Law and Justice (which defends school prayer and Ten Commandments monuments, among other things) endorsed the bill along with leftwing stalwarts such as the Children’s Defense Fund, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Urban League. When it comes to helping prisoners, parties who have long demonized one another become aware of an absence of horns and tails. Supported by 92 cosponsors, the bill passed the House
by a vote of 347-62. The following spring, the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. Given the mudslinging in the capital and on the airwaves in the spring of 2008, the bonhomie at the signing ceremony was breathtaking. After thanking the members of Congress and his administration who had worked on the bill, President Bush explained the underlying principles that brought these otherwise fractious parties together. He said that each human being matters. That redemption is possible. That everyone
*/3%0( 7),,)!-3
fosters human connections and forms positive social networks for each person in transition from prison. Mentorship, training, and social institutions such as churches replace antisocial support systems in the life of an offender by providing a sense of belonging that is critical to engaged citizenship.
-!+).' 352% &)03 $/.´4 &,/0
PRISM: Why are FIPs (formerly incarcerated persons) and caring for FIPs so important? Joseph Williams: Most FIPs are poor, young, inner-city African American men —there are around 2.3 million in the US today.That’s devastating to urban communities and black families. So it’s important for the rebuilding of lives, families, and communities that they be restored as contributing members to society.
INTERVIEW BY KIM FIELD
PRISM: What do faith-based initiatives offer that state programs can’t? JW: When a person is released by the state the relationship is one of monitoring via parole, etc. But a corrections mentality doesn’t work in reentry because successful reentry requires a philosophical shift. Corrections officers are indoctrinated to have adversarial relationships with prisoners, but at the point of release and reentry these people are no longer prisoners; they’ve paid their so-called “debt to society.” So the state is unable to provide social integration and spiritual guidance to returning prisoners, but faith-based organizations can — and at a very high level. They provide opportunities for networking; they promote positive values; they offer a presence. People coming out of prison institutions often go back to communities where there are churches, but the churches need resources. That’s where we help out.
Joseph Williams is the founder of the Christian Association for Prison Aftercare (CAPA), which annually hosts the nation’s largest faith-based prisoner reentry conference. He is also the founder and CEO of New Creations Community Outreach, based in Detroit, Mich., an international ministry model for serving prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. In 2006, Williams was elected to Ashoka, a global association of social entrepreneurs with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Williams’ book, Sheep in Wolves’ Clothing, describes how he went from drug addict and petty criminal to highly regarded reentry expert — a powerful story of redemption and transformation that fuels his ministry to other former prisoners. New Creations’ TOP (Transition of Prisoners) program
PRISM: How long does successful reentry generally take? JW: About two years — at least at that point it is measurable. The first six to eight months are the toughest. PRISM: What kinds of legal changes do you think would
PRISM 2 0 1 0
14
deserves a second chance. (See Bush’s comments in sidebar on page 18.) Bush had been sounding this theme since his 2004 State of the Union, when he first spoke of second chances. It was the first time in anyone’s memory that a president had spoken of the challenges facing people coming home from prison. The New York Times wrote of this speech in a 2006 piece called “The Right Has a Jailhouse Conversion” saying,“Despite his strong support for capital punishment, President Bush
may be the most pro-prisoner president in American history — at least if you disregard the war on terror (an admittedly enormous caveat). Certainly in terms of rhetoric, Bush has done more to advance the interests of prisoners than either Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton.” The Times acknowledged that the policies Bush was pressing in his speech, which would soon be reflected in the Second Chance legislation, “won’t be an elixir. But as a symbolic political gesture, the SCA completely reverses recent
facilitate reentry? JW: I would like to see a law passed that prohibits employers from categorically denying employment based on a person having a felony conviction. They should only be able to ask questions such as conviction for certain kinds of crimes that may pose a real liability to an employer. For instance, if a person is convicted for distributing drugs, it is reasonable for an employer to have concerns about hiring that person as a pharmacist. Things like collateral sanctions, mandatory minimum sentences, and waiving children’s rights as juveniles also make reentry difficult. Collateral sanctions deny returning citizens access to certain jobs. For instance, in some states a person with a felony conviction cannot work as a barber. In many states felons cannot vote. Felons are routinely denied access to public housing and federal tuition assistance, to name just a few. Mandatory minimum sentences and waiving juveniles’ rights mean that many people are convicted in adult court at younger ages and serve longer sentences than they would have in the past. It is not unusual for a young man or woman to enter prison at age 15 and spend over 20 years in prison. This presents unique challenges. They probably have never been a part of the workforce. They are vastly out of touch with today’s technology and the demands of the current workforce. Their family ties are often significantly weakened. And then there are the drug laws. Drug laws that mandate a certain minimum sentence for a particular amount of drugs should be repealed. In these instances, judges do not have the discretion to give lighter sentences even when they want to based on the circumstances surrounding the case.There should be no distinction in the mandatory sentences between those arrested for crack cocaine (typically black and poor) and those arrested for powder cocaine (typically more affluent). Once a person has proven that he has truly become a productive member of society and has desisted from crime for a significant length of time, his entire criminal record should be expunged. Otherwise, there is no paying the so-called “debt to society.”
PRISM: Obviously it would be better to keep someone from ever going to prison than to try to reintegrate him afterwards. What kind of preventative measures would make a difference? JW: The decline in quality education leads to an increase in crime and imprisonment, so improving education is important. And employment opportunities are essential. Unemployed people lack the benefits, both material and psychological, offered by the dignity of work. When jobs are scarce, underground employment flourishes. People have to work. PRISM: What are your goals for the future regarding FIPs and reentry? JW: At a macro level we would like to take all we’ve learned and teach others how to work with the FIP population, so we’re positioning ourselves to provide technical training and resources. On a micro level we would like to fill in the gaps in the system by providing social support, spiritual guidance, and resources to FIPs. PRISM: What suggestions do you have for a congregation that wants to become a support network for FIPs? JW: I am delighted that the Annie E. Casey Foundation has committed resources to the development of the Healing Communities model (see page 17).The Healing Communities model encourages and teaches congregations not to look at ministry to those in prison and their family members as a separate ministry. If the prisoner reentry movement is to be successful, it is critical for churches to seriously address the issue of criminal justice ministry. (To learn more about Joseph Williams’ work or to contact him, go to NCCOinc.org, CAPAassociation.org, and SheepStreet.net.) Kim Field earned her MA in political science at Howard University and is currently earning her MTS at Palmer Theological Seminary, with a concentration in theology and public policy, and her PhD in public policy at University of Pennsylvania.
PRISM 2 0 1 0
15